Port St. Lucie police arrest child pornography suspect following 3-hour standoff

A Port St. Lucie man is in jail following a three-hour standoff with the SWAT team, which all started when officers tried to arrest that man for child pornography-related crimes.

Detectives were searching the suspect's home on the 800 block of Watson Court, looking to comb through 35-year-old Joshua Valdez’s phone and computer for child pornography.

Investigators say Thursday night’s standoff all started when the SWAT team arrived at Valdez’s house with a search warrant.

"He made face-to-face contact with the swat team when they arrived,” said Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk with the Port St. Lucie Police Department. "Upon sight of us, the suspect decided to barricade himself inside the home."

At that point, the crisis negotiators stepped in, trying for three hours to get Valdez to surrender peacefully, but Valdez wouldn’t cooperate.

"So far, he’s refusing to speak, although he will knock to let us know in response to questions, to let us know that he’s there,” Niemczyk said.

Port St. Lucie police say they knew Valdez did not have a weapon, and officers say Valdez's mother and sister left the home and helped police try to get Valdez to surrender.

Officers also used a robotic dog with a camera and another robot with a camera to see if they could find Valdez in the home, but he was out of sight.

They also used gas to try to flush him out, but at about 8 p.m., the SWAT team entered the house.

"We finally were left no option but to gain entry," Niemczyk said. "The SWAT team made entry into the home and located him in the front bedroom, hiding under a mattress. He was taken into custody without incident. I think he had about enough."

Investigators say Valdez did not say anything to any of the officers upon his arrest. No nearby homes were evacuated during the three-hour standoff. No one was hurt.

The exact nature of Valdez’s child pornography charges is still unclear, but police say he will, at the very least, be charged with possession of child pornography.